| Voss typewriters (which are all portables) have attained a following not only because of their relative rarity, but also because of the exotic look of many models. These machines were manufactured in Wuppertal beginning in 1948, and were produced in successive models until the early 1960's. You can click here to find our exhaustive history of this company and its machines; the link takes you off-site, so you must use your browser "back" button to return here. |
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| Voss portable Tilman Elster collection This is a 1949-built example which displays the first body style employed on these machines. The detail photo shows the emblem on the paper table, which is an illustration of the famous Wuppertal overhead-suspended monorail system. Serial no. F321. |
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| Klein Voss Tilman Elster collection Machine serial number F543 displays the next labeling variant, wherein the machine is called the "Klein Voss" and also which displays the company name "Voss & Co. Wuppertal" on the front, above the keyboard. Also from 1949. Thomas Fuertig relates to us the fact that in some sources, early Voss machines are given official model numbers relating to year of production, so that the early machines would be Model 48 or Model 49. |
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| Voss S24 Tilman Elster collection This is the first body style change, and also the first to incorporate non-metallic, resinous synthetic materials similar to Bakelite -- but on these machines, it is both primed and painted. The term for this substance is "Presstoff." This example is serial number 22672 and was built in 1951. By this time, the Voss machines were being sold with model numbers that were obvious to the buyer; the model number is displayed on this machine's paper table. The "24" is platen width in centimeters. |
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| Voss S24 Tilman Elster collection Serial number 74160, built 1953. This machine's body, largely one-piece resinous material and with gull-wing ribbon doors, was introduced on the 1952 machines. This is the most highly-regarded and sought after body style for the Voss portables. Note the slots in the paper table, through which the position of the margin set tabs is indicated. |
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| Two different body styles were produced in the 1950's, and it is still not entirely certain which of these came first. One of them employed a rather conventional one-piece lift-off ribbon cover, while the other (much more famous) design employed gull-wing ribbon spool cover doors. It is now assumed that there was some concurrent production of the two styles, but that the units with one-piece cover lasted longer. We will examine the style with one-piece top cover first. |
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| At right, an advertising brochure illustration from the Will Davis collection displays the Voss M-10. This machine is fitted with a tabulator. |
| Voss Karin Tilman Elster collection This machine carries the model name "Karin," which was used on both this simple version of the M-10 and also on a version of the Voss Privat. There is yet other evidence that the name was used on a simplified version of one of the S24 variants. Whatever the body style, the Karin is always a simple, bare-bones machine as regards options and appurtenances. Serial number 216187, which is an extremely high (very late) serial number, and probably very near the 1964-65 closure of the company. |
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| Another brochure illustration shows the Voss M-13 Business-Riter, with 13" paper capacity and key-set tabulator as standard equipment. Decimal tabulator offered on option. This machine was marketed toward small offices and not homes. There was an even more expensive Voss System-Riter offered, about which we have no further details. |
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| Next, we will see the body style of Voss portable that is the most famous; that with the "gull-wing" ribbon doors. |
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| Voss ST24 Will Davis collection The addition of the "T" in the model number indicates additon of tabulator, with the TAB key visible here at the right end of the second row of keys -- just above the right shift key. |
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| This machine is serial number 133268, was built in 1957, and came complete with accessories as seen here. Dust cover on left; above, vinyl accessory case with logo containing two cleaning brushes and dusting cloth, all also with Voss logo. On the machines with 'key-set' tabs, a set-clear knob on the carriage is the device actually employed. |
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| Voss SDT24 Tilman Elster collection This is the top machine advertised for domestic use; as is indicated by the model number, and is visible in the photo, this machine has a decimal tabulator. There were very few portable typewriters that offered such a feature. This machine is serial number 148601, built in 1958. Note that the front of the machine has been modified to allow the fitting of the operating keys for the tabulator system, giving a quite different appearance in that section. |
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| The final design offered under the Voss name, in terms of date of introduction, was the Voss Privat. This machine was a member of the Patria family, also known as the Euro-Portables family. Left, example from Tilman Elster collection with serial number 178648, built 1960. Below, slightly modified in details is this example from Will Davis, with serial 197611, built late 1961 or early 1962. |
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